Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-22
A GENDARMF"S STORY.

"A NEN IA II VI l y DiOhls
In the autumn of Is we nound our
selves, at AN elevation of 1900 meters, in
the Chalet of Tranbcane Ii was well
that we were sheltered, for n tempest
ragged on the outside, sweeping and howl
ing through the mountain passes and
hurting itself with fury upon the pines of
the Swiss Jura. Gathering about the
fire, like the rest of us, for warmth and
comfort, the herdsmen smoked and lis
tened while we talked.
Suddenly a violent knocking sounded
upon the door, and, on the call to enter,
given by the shepherd, who was master
of the hut, Naudois Gendarme, wet and
weary, black canishe following at his
heels, showed himself in the opening.
Placing his capote and carbine in n cor
ner with the rest of the trappings. he ex-
planned to US that he. too, hal been sur
prised by the storm and for several hours
lost in the pines. As the light of the
burning logs fell upon the new arrival
started in astonshment, for never in my
life before had | seen so strange a counte-
nance The nose was broken and bent
awry. the teeth entirely missing from the
front Of the mouth, and the skin and flesh
n patchwork of seams and cicatrices.
| Nevertheless. in spite OF its disfigure-
mentS, the face was a kind one, the face
of an old and brave soldier.
The conversation, checked for a moment
by his coming, was renewed again, the
painful duty of the ir Ountain guards, the
tragic story of cont 'abandists, forming
the basis Of our Ia K. Every one had
something to relate. and when il came To
the turn of the Cendarme, cheered by fire.
cuent trips to his gourd and the grateful
warmth of the fire, he gave us the follow
ing history:
That which I am going 20 tell you,''
said he, sis the saddest episode of my life,
for | was but p years of age, and. with
out fiattering myself, a well set boy.
Detailed TO the post Of Cure-the extreme
station of the canton OF Naud, near the
| Fort des Rousses-in the winter of IS,
endured some terrible sufferings, every
day of my life exposed to the danger and
hardships of that open frontier and the
forests of Amont. All, those miserable
smugglers, whose route l had to watch
Many a night have l passed in a hole in
the rocks or in the branches of the pines
| in those trackless woods where one only
meets with crows and poisonous reptilesl
But to return TO my story: One after.
noon the corporal came to me and said
| .Abram, this evening the little Francois
and his two dogs OF brothers will load
themselves at DeS Rousses; they will be
obliged to return through the hollows OF
Crouaz ! am going TO post myself be,
hind them, the lieutenant under the Yer
millay, and you in the hollow itself As
| you have a longer route than We, you
must start at once and take Bijou with
you. Come, hurry up, boy; this trip re-
| Quires nerve.
"Bijou, to whom the corporal referred,
| was the canishe of the post; there was
! nothing like him to scent the smugglers
and moreover, to tell the truth. he had
once been a contrahand himself, having
served to pass jewelry and clock works
concealed under his hair, through the
| lines into France.
II had found him after brawl
wounded and bleeding; had cared for and
| cured him; and since then he had never
left me. By O'Clock / was on the road
| The ground was covered with snow, and
at every step sank TO my knees in spite
| OF my snow shoes. The carbine slunr
across my shoulders, the sword at my
waist. my heavy capote and Alpenstock
ulu Itl Vi "tlSHl, 1 AS-
sure you. But | went on with a brave
heart in spite of my difficulties, pleased
with the thought of measuring my
strength in open fight with this terrible
Petit Francois, who daily detied oul
watchfulness, and on sunday openly
walked with the girls of the neighbor.
| hood. He did it to make us envious, foi
the villain knew that we were not made
% nj with nf /,
thirty cents day from the government
not likely to be looked upon with favor.
'When think OF him. that scamp with
his pocket, full of gold, and jewels enough
To tempt even the vir-in of Notre Dame
d'Arzler, my blood boils, and-but listen
| gentlemen, listen 10 the end.
II had already been travelling for ovel
two hours, when at last approached the
hollow of Crouaz, a narrow detile between
| the Noir Mont and Mont Sallcz, mere
| goat : path, in fact; TO the right of it &
fearful precipice, to the left a polished
| wall-and what height-not less thar
| 1000 metres,
Imagine for yourselves the cold anG
| the gloom Of those interminable forests
with their centenary pines whose trunk.
We're mossed with age, whose branches
bent and cracked under the weight O.
snow-and not a soul save myself in tn,
whole of that icy solitude, walked perhaps
! 100 feet into the defile, then seated myself
! in the snow To smoke. The night was
| clear and bright, but | smoked with com
| posture, for knew perfectly well that til,
| smugglers would remain at Des Rousse.
until 10 O'Clock at least, in order TO arriv,
at Begnins about dayOreak.
by this time, the cold beginning tt
affect me, | was growing very drowsy.
when suddenly my attention WAS attracted
by the strange behavior of Bijou. He haC
burruwed into a pie of snow heapeC
against the wall of the hollow. and in
stead of squatting himself quietly on hi.
launches. as was his habit, was digging
scratching and smiling about the eXcava
ton as if seeking TO unearth a treasure.
Il must see what he is about, | said
TO myself; there's something suspicious
over there And leaning my carbint
against the rocks, took of my sword and
began To dig in the hole at which BijOu
was still paving. All, bot il was funny,
for suddenly, something giving way be
meath us. we fell and weie buried out ol
sight, IA great pile of snow and ice resting
upon our heads. When l was free agaiI
found myself in Il sort of cavern, the
floor dry and covered with gravel and fin,
sand. Bjou. already ON his feet, jumped
about me barking and whining, displeasec
or uneasy at the position in which h,
found himself, il was difficult Ia tell which
by the light of my lantern, fortu
nately unbroken in the all, | began to eN
anime the SURROUNDINGS: but. sacre Dieu
what did I see stacked upon every side Of
me- Packages of wheat and sugars, bales
of tobacco, wine from Berne, cigars from
Nevey, and heaven knows what besides!
II was a complete store house, in fact, and
evidently den of Petit Francois in which
20 hide away the contraband merchandise
brought into France. In all there was,
perhaps, 2.Ooe francs worth, and as the
state gave Us the right to one-half the
cOnliscated property you can imagine my
'<rite of mind. l had scarcely time, how
ever 10 recover from the amazement
which the sight Of these things bad
given me when my duty rs sentinel re-
turned to mind; but how was l to get out
,f this hole thirty Mt least baneoth